Fresh plans for Frontier are submitted

Batley Frontier has once again said there are no plans to close after applying to change the use of the venue from a club to a gym.

The company which owns the night spot, Batley Variety Club Limited, submitted a new planning application to Kirklees Council on April 8.

Former owner James Corrigan at the famous Batley Variety Club.

This came after the owners previously sought a certificate of lawfulness to change the use of the building in February.

Joe Battye, whose family own the club, said at the time that they were simply looking at options for the site and had no plans to close.

But the latest submission to planners is a standard change of use application – most often made by applicants to seek permission to operate a different type of business at a particular site.

The Frontier’s consultant general manager Nick Westwell said: “We are just exploring all the options.”

He added that the owners withdrew the original certficate of lawfulness application because planners told them that to explore their options they needed to apply for a change of use.

Mr Westwell said there are no plans to close.

Speculation about the club closing surfaced in January 2014 when it was revealed that developerRichard Morton was asked by the owners to survey the building and suggest potential uses for the site.

The Batley Variety Club was opened in 1967 by James and Betty Corrigan.

The Bradford Road venue once hosted musical stars such as Roy Orbison, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Dusty Springfield, Shirley Bassey, Louis Armstrong, Tom Jones, Lulu, The Bee Gees and many other famous names.

Betty Corrigan sadly died on April 1 this year after a stay in Bridlington Hospital.

Public consultation on the planning application runs until May 14. To view the application visit the planning page at www.kirklees.gov.uk